Qa'dah 28, 1431 H/ Nov. 05, 2010, SPA -- A technical glitch dealt another delay to space shuttle Discovery's final launch that had been slated for later Friday. NASA said the decision was forced by a gaseous hydrogen leak in the line that "carries gaseous hydrogen safely away from Discovery to the flare stack, where it is burned off.", dpa reported. If the launch cannot be rescheduled by Monday, NASA would move to the next launch window of November 30 to December 5. Shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach said the leak was "significant," and was similar to leaks in past missions but earlier in the fuelling process and larger. Weather at the Kennedy Space Centre on Cape Canaveral, Florida forced a delay from Thursday. Other technical problems caused delays this week, which was to have begun on Monday with the launch. The oldest vehicle in the operating space shuttle fleet, Discovery entered construction in 1979 and blasted off into space for the first time in 1984. This mission will deliver the last major US contribution to the International Space Station - an extra room - along with supplies, including a human-like robot, known as Robonaut 2, the first-such robot ever sent to space. After this shuttle mission and a possible next one in the new year, NASA will retire the shuttle programme. Astronauts will travel to and from the ISS on Russian spacecraft.
